Pen Box Depicting Shaykh San'an and the Christian Maiden

attributed to Muhammad Isma'il Isfahani Iranian

Not on view

The story of the Shaykh San'an and the Christian Maiden is a popular tale from the 12th-century Persian poet, Farid al-Din Attar's Mantiq al-Tayr or Conference of the Birds. It has been widely illustrated from the fifteenth century onward. This is the subject of the paintings on this lacquer penbox, attributed to Muhammad Isma'il Isfahani, the master lacquer painter at the court of the fourth Qajar ruler, Nasir al-Din Shah (1848–1896). Each episode from the story is framed in a cartouche and accompanied by poetic verses. The viewer can follow the narrative starting with the top surface of the frame and moving to the sides, the ends, and the underside. The painting is in a Rococo Europeanizing style charateristic of the artist's work.

Pen Box Depicting Shaykh San'an and the Christian Maiden, attributed to Muhammad Isma'il Isfahani (Iranian, 1814–1892), Papier-maché; painted, gilded, and varnished

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Pen Box Depicting Shaykh San'an and the Christian Maiden, attributed to Muhammad Isma'il Isfahani (Iranian, 1814–1892), Papier-maché; painted, gilded, and varnished
Pen Box Depicting Shaykh San'an and the Christian Maiden, attributed to Muhammad Isma'il Isfahani (Iranian, 1814–1892), Papier-maché; painted, gilded, and varnished
Pen Box Depicting Shaykh San'an and the Christian Maiden, attributed to Muhammad Isma'il Isfahani (Iranian, 1814–1892), Papier-maché; painted, gilded, and varnished
Pen Box Depicting Shaykh San'an and the Christian Maiden, attributed to Muhammad Isma'il Isfahani (Iranian, 1814–1892), Papier-maché; painted, gilded, and varnished
Pen Box Depicting Shaykh San'an and the Christian Maiden, attributed to Muhammad Isma'il Isfahani (Iranian, 1814–1892), Papier-maché; painted, gilded, and varnished
Pen Box Depicting Shaykh San'an and the Christian Maiden, attributed to Muhammad Isma'il Isfahani (Iranian, 1814–1892), Papier-maché; painted, gilded, and varnished
Pen Box Depicting Shaykh San'an and the Christian Maiden, attributed to Muhammad Isma'il Isfahani (Iranian, 1814–1892), Papier-maché; painted, gilded, and varnished
Pen Box Depicting Shaykh San'an and the Christian Maiden, attributed to Muhammad Isma'il Isfahani (Iranian, 1814–1892), Papier-maché; painted, gilded, and varnished
Pen Box Depicting Shaykh San'an and the Christian Maiden, attributed to Muhammad Isma'il Isfahani (Iranian, 1814–1892), Papier-maché; painted, gilded, and varnished
Pen Box Depicting Shaykh San'an and the Christian Maiden, attributed to Muhammad Isma'il Isfahani (Iranian, 1814–1892), Papier-maché; painted, gilded, and varnished
Pen Box Depicting Shaykh San'an and the Christian Maiden, attributed to Muhammad Isma'il Isfahani (Iranian, 1814–1892), Papier-maché; painted, gilded, and varnished
Pen Box Depicting Shaykh San'an and the Christian Maiden, attributed to Muhammad Isma'il Isfahani (Iranian, 1814–1892), Papier-maché; painted, gilded, and varnished

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